Waterstones Sauchiehall Street celebrates 20th anniversary

Christmas isn’t the only thing employees at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street are celebrating.

Scotland’s largest book store has turned 20 and what better way to commemorate this milestone than a week long series of events this November?

Frankie Burr, who works at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street, helped organise the events. She excitedly tells of why they decided to celebrate now.

“We wanted to bring together a programme of events to help celebrate and now, in the run up to Christmas, it seemed like the perfect time.”

What can we expect to see during the week? Frankie explains the importance of accommodating to their customers’ range of interests, from sci-fi books all the way to academic.

Fans eagerly waiting for their signed copy of Viz

Frankie explains: “It’s such a massively wide range that we wanted to try and replicate that in the events we’re celebrating of the 20 years. The only way to get anywhere near that is to try and hold a week of events. We hold events here all the time but we usually try to spread them out a bit more.

Already, the store has showcased talks by author, Charlotte Peacock, on Friday, who wrote the first ever biography of Nan Shepherd published this Autumn. A Q&A with Rick Stein (author of Road to Mexico) was held on Saturday, and on Sunday there were a few family events featuring popular character The Gruffalo.

“Today we’ve got the guy from Viz comic. Viz is the most irreverent comic on the market. If you haven’t encountered Viz, you need to. It’s so funny and so rude. So close to the bone. So perfect for people you don’t know what to get for for Christmas.”

Along with the events, five floors have been refurbished and the store now also features a bar – which was opened by Rick Stein.

“Who doesn’t like the idea of a pint and a book at the same time?” Frankie jokes. “It works for me!”

If you fancy some wine and light reading, why not spend head down to Waterstones to listen to lectures from authors and publishers and help celebrate the store’s birthday?

Don’t forget to check out Waterstones Sauchiehall Street’s Facebook and Twitter for more information on all the events to come.